Discussion is prohibited, and that's why the interest fades.

I disagree. If you allow discussion, there won't be any intrigue... Discussion is prohibited, and that's perfectly justified. In reality, two weeks is quite enough for a tournament. I'm speaking purely from experience, not from hearsay. :) In a month, you can hold two or even three tournaments – not everyone will participate in all of them, of course, but the process will be dynamic.

Here, too, half of those who expressed their desire will drop out, and not because they didn't have enough time – rather, they simply didn't have much desire. Some didn't like the map, some didn't like their results, and something else for others... More time doesn't help to play effectively; rather, it hinders.

There were comments above that after playing the map, they saw an opportunity to play more effectively, but the time had already run out. This means they only started playing a few days ago – what was the point of waiting three weeks just to start playing? This isn't a complaint, don't get me wrong. It's just that most people play in the last few days – and no matter how much time you allocate for the tournament, there will always be those who didn't have time to finish, as they say.

Remember the blitz – they managed to play more complex scenarios in terms of optimization in a week, and it was even fun. :) And the quorum was always double.

Just a side note – there's nothing more to talk about for now... :D

Added 5 minutes ago

so I'm not aiming for the top ten. unless everyone else also wakes up at the end and can't show a strong game.

I think everyone will be in the top ten for now... Don't worry! :)

yes, and also - I REALLY missed something.... this something changes everything.

Scouting... That's the answer to all the questions.